Love & Their Cures
by KathrynElaineDonahue
Summary: When a trip to the restricted section doesn't go as planned.


**A/N: This is Round 13 of QLFC and I'm Beater 2 of the Wimbourne Wasps. I am supposed to write a fluff story that I have to mention a basilisk from a past season (S2R8). My prompts are listed below J**

 **Prompts:**

 **#1: (setting) Hogwarts' Library**

 **#6: (word) collection**

 **Love & Their Cures**

Hermione had always been careful about her research studies outside of her classwork. It was never her intention to get Harry or Ron in trouble when it came to outside research She remembered back in her second year when she researched the basilisk, but this year was different. It wasn't for anything that involved Harry. It was for something that she wanted to know more about for herself. This particular thing wasn't something she could find in a regular book, and she was hoping that she could learn more about in the restricted section of the library.

It was a quiet evening, and she had been lucky enough to avoid Filch on her adventure to the back end of the library. There were absolutely no students, and she found it to be incredibly peaceful. It was going to help her concentration so that she could get in and out of there as quickly as possible.

"It's got to be around here somewhere," she whispered, searching through the rows of books.

Hermione searched through the collection of books until she finally found the book she was looking for. She picked it up with a smile. She couldn't wait to get beneath the worn covers and find out what it was all about. She wanted to secure the fact that her feelings were nothing more than her silly imagination.

"So, find something good?"

Her heart stopped. That voice was all too familiar, and she wished for nothing more than for this to be part of her silly imagination.

"W-what…what are you doing here?"

"Probably the same thing you are," he said, moving closer to her.

She wedged the book between her arm and her side to make sure that he couldn't see the title of the book she had been looking for. Considering that it had everything to do with him, she wanted to save herself a little embarrassment.

"What do you think I'm here for?"

"The scenery," he joked.

"You don't know me that well," she argued.

"I know you enough to know that you're stalling."

"Draco, I'm not stalling anything."

"Oh yeah?" he countered.

"Yeah!"

With that, he ripped the book from under her arms. Hermione tried her best to get the book back from him, but she wasn't successful.

" _The Many Versions of Love and Their Cures?"_ Draco questioned, holding up the book by its worn cover.

"Yeah, so?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You were trying to cure a form of love?"

"I wouldn't say I was trying to _cure_ it," Hermione explained.

"Then what were you doing?" he asked.

Hermione just couldn't tell him what she had been looking for. She had been looking for a way to cure what she was feeling, but she didn't even know if love was the correct term for it.

"I was just... uh," she tried to find an excuse, but his cloudy eyes just bore into her own.

It was happening all over again. The longer those eyes stared at her the more vulnerable she became to his advances. She knew that they, as a couple, didn't make sense. They didn't mesh together in any way, but she couldn't help it. Every movement he made brought her in more and caused her to be even more tongue-tied. Her mind was racing as she traced his body with her own eyes. She could envision every breath and every touch perfectly in her mind, but she was trying her very best to push it away.

"Are you in love with me?" he questioned, amusement dancing around on his face.

"No!" she lied.

At least, she didn't think that she was in love with him. There was no textual evidence to support her irrational feelings, and she doubted the sincerity of her actions. Although, she wasn't sure if it was the thought of him being this close to her that was making her sweat or the fact that she was caught in this section of the library. If he wanted to, she knew that he could use this against her for the rest of her life.

"It sounds like you are," he joked.

"Look, I imagine that this is going to be something that all of your cronies talk about in the courtyard tomorrow morning. Can I just get the book back and you can go back to making fun of me like you always have?" Hermione asked, holding her hand out.

She was defeated. She couldn't come up with a good enough reason as to why she was out past curfew in the restricted section with a book on love and its cures. She mentally prepared herself for the salacious torment. What she wasn't prepared for was the warm kiss that was planted on her lips. Draco pulled away and they just continued to stare at each other like they had been for the past couple of minutes.

"You didn't think I loved you too?" Draco questioned.

Hermione was a little more than floored. He couldn't have just said that he loved her. That would mean that he was in this section, looking for the exact same book so that they could squash this idea of theirs.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"What we do best," he answered, pushing a strand of frizzy brown hair behind her ear and giving her a gentle kiss that led to something a little more passionate.

The kiss was warm and sensual in all the ways that she hoped it would be. They had kissed once in the earlier weeks, but she hadn't thought it was still on his mind.

"What do we do best?"

"You talk too much," he smiled, going in to kiss her again.

The book was never checked out, of course, but the couple continued to hide their love as best they could until things started to get even more complicated than they had intended.


End file.
